Lok Sabha Elections Phase 3 | Highlights: Top Updates From Third Phase Of Voting

Lok Sabha Phase 3: Key constituencies

For the third phase, all eyes are on two of the major seats including Gandhinagar in Gujarat where Home Minister Amit Shah is contesting against Sonal Ramanbhai Patel from the Congress and Maharashtra's Baramati where Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is fielded against his nephew Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar.

• The third phase of the Lok Sabha elections is taking place today with voters at 93 parliamentary constituencies across 11 states and Union Territories going for casting their votes.

• Polling will begin at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.

• In the second phase, polling is scheduled in 4 constituencies in Assam, 5 constituencies of Bihar, 7 constituencies in Chhattisgarh, 2 constituencies in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu, 2 constituencies in Goa, 25 constituencies in Gujarat,14 constituencies in Karnataka, 9 in Madhya Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, and 4 in West Bengal.

• By the end of the third phase of voting, 280 constituencies will have gone to polls while the remaining 263 constituencies will go to polling over the four remaining phases.

Batting for ethical use of social media platforms, the apex poll body is asked political parties to remove fake content within 3 hours of coming to their notice.

This year the Elecion Commission of India (ECI) has incorporated innovative social media campaigns like ‘Turning 18’ and ‘You are the One’ in its poll campaigning repertoire to engage with more citizens.

Voting for Phase 3 of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Tuesday will begin at 7 am in 93 constituencies across 11 states and Union Territories.

As per the original Election Commission schedule, 94 constituencies were to go to polls in the third phase, however, recent developments have changed the figures. Voting for Jammu and Kashmir's Anant-Rajouri seat, which was to happen in the third phase, has been postponed to May 25 by the EC, citing "adverse weather". The BJP has already won unopposed Gujarat's Surat seat, which was scheduled to go to polls in the third phase. Meanwhile, polling in Madhya Pradesh's Betul, which was to be held in the second phase on April 26, is being held in the third phase on May 7.

The schedule for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 was announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 16. The voting for Lok Sabha elections 2024 is taking place in seven phases and started on April 19. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

While voting for Phase 1 took place on April 19, for Phase 2 on April 26, and fir Phase 3 is taking place today, Phase 4 to Phase 7 will take place on: May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

• Phase 1/April 19 - 21 states/UTs - 102 constituencies

• Phase 2/April 26 - 13 states/UTs - 88 constituencies

• Phase 3/May 7 - 12 states/UTs - 12 constituencies

• Phase 4/May 13 - 10 states/UTs - 96 constituencies

• Phase 5/May 20 - 8 states/UTs - 49 constituencies

• Phase 6/May 25 - 7 states/UTs - 57 constituencies

• Phase 7/June 1 -  8 states/UTs - 57 constituencies

Lok Sabha Elections Full Schedule Here

With the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 taking place, the Election Commission of India has issued voter slips and sent them to the houses of the eligible voters. However, not all eligible voters have received their voter slips.

With several voters yet to receive their voter slips, a common question arises - can I still cast a vote in the elections without a slip?

The answer is YES. Eligible voters can vote without the slips if their name is mentioned on the electoral roll.

Voters can check whether their name is mentioned on the electoral roll on the official website of the Election Commission of India - electoralsearch.eci.gov.in.

KNOW MORE HERE

The stage is set for polling in 14 of 28 seats in Karnataka today, with the Congress and BJP locking horns on the electoral battleground again in less than a fortnight in the state, Polling for the other 14 seats took place on April 26, the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024.  

A straight fight is being seen between the ruling Congress and BJP in Parliamentary segments in the northern districts. The JD(S) is not contesting in these seats and is supporting its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner -- the BJP. A total of 227 candidates -- 206 men and 21 women -- are in the fray for the second phase.

The segments where elections will be held on Tuesday are: Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davangere and Shimoga.

Voting is taking place today in 11 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, with the spotlight being on the high-stakes battle in Baramati, where Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is pitted against Sunetra Pawar, wife of the veteran leader’s estranged nephew and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

The seats where polling will take place on May 7 are Baramati, Raigad, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Hatkanangale.

Prominent contestants also include royal scions Shahu Chhatrapati of the Congress in Kolhapur and BJP’s Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara as well Union minister Narayan Rane in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.

In the fourth phase on May 13, a total of 2.28 crore voters will decide the fate of 298 candidates in 11 seats, namely Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi and Beed Lok Sabha constituencies.

The 13 Lok Sabha seats where polling will be held in the fifth and last phase in the state are Dhule, Dindori, Nashik in North Maharashtra and Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South Central and Mumbai South.

A high-stakes battle in Madhya Pradesh is taking place in the third phase with voting for nine seats is being held. Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and former state chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Digvijaya Singh are in the fray.

More than 1.77 crore voters will decide the fate of 127 candidates who are contesting from the nine Lok Sabha seats - Morena, Bhind (SC-reserved), Gwalior, Guna, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal, Rajgarh and Betul (ST-reserved).

A voter can check the EPIC number on their Voter ID card to find out which polling booth they are supposed to vote at.

What is EPIC number?

The Election Photo ID Card (EPIC), also known as the Voter ID card, has a unique 10-digit alpha-numeric code which is assigned by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The number is a proof that you are a registered voter.

On any Voter ID card, the EPIC code is on the front. One can also get the EPIC number from the National Voters' Service Portal (NVSP).

How to find EPIC number online?

• Open the official NVSP portal.

• Under ‘Services’, click on ‘Search in Electoral Roll'.

• Select ‘Search by Details’ or ‘Search by Mobile’.

• Fill the required details in to see the EPIC code.

How To Find Polling Booth With EPIC Number?

• Visit electoralsearch.eci.gov.in.

• Enter the EPIC code, state, captcha code, and click ‘Search.’

• The booth details will be displayed on the screen of your device.

An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is an electronic device for recording votes and is used in India for voting in elections. An Electronic Voting Machine consists of two Units – a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit – joined by a five-meter cable. Since 2010, the Election Commission has been phasing in a third unit called the VVPAT or the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail, which allows voters to verify that their votes have been recorded correctly by printing a paper receipt.

In accordance with an order by the Supreme Court of India, April 8, 2019, the Commission has mandated VVPAT slips count of five randomly selected polling stations in each assembly constituency/segment of the parliamentary constituency of the states/UTs by the returning officer, by draw of lot in presence of candidates/their counting agents and ECI observer, for verification of the result obtained from the control unit.

None of the Above (NOTA) in EVMs is an option for voters who do not wish to cast vote for any candidate. On the Ballot Units (BU), below the name of the last candidate, there is a button for NOTA option which allows voters who do not want to vote for any of the candidates to exercise the option.

READ MORE | What is NOTA? How Does It Affect Poll Results? | Know About It 

Similarly, Postal Ballot Papers also have a NOTA Panel after the name of the last candidate. The symbol for NOTA as given below will be printed against the NOTA Panel.

Voting for 25 out of 26 Lok Sabha seats and bypolls to five assembly seats in Gujarat is being held today, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looking to repeat its sweep of 2014 and 2019 in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah will cast their votes at booths in Ahmedabad city that fall under Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat. PM Modi will exercise his franchise at a booth in Nishan Public School in Ranip locality, while Amit Shah will vote at Naranpura sub-zonal office in the city.

The BJP has already drawn first blood with Mukesh Dalal winning from Surat unopposed after the nomination of the Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected over irregularities in the signature of proposers and other candidates withdrew.

With less than an hour left for the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls, preparations are underway at Gujarat's Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad.Today, 25 Parliamentary constituencies of the state will go to polls today. BJP candidate from Surat, Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed from his seat.

The Congress on Monday registered a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that the TMC duplicated the signature of Rahul Gandhi and issued a “fake” letter to “confuse” voters ahead of polling in West Bengal’s Maldaha Dakshin Lok Sabha constituency.

The “fake” letter surfaced days after the police declared a video clip of Congress' Baharampur candidate Adhir Chowdhury, urging people to "vote for the BJP", as "manipulated” to gain “political advantage".

"This is to inform you that the signature of Rahul Gandhi has been fixed and duplicated by miscreants of TMC, and a fake statement has been printed by them using Bengali language to spread false information amongst the electors of eight-Maldaha Dakshin Parliament constituency, which is against the model code of conduct in the Lok Sabha elections," a leader of the state Congress said in the complaint.

(PTI Inputs)

As voting for the third phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 is set to begin shortly, mock polling is underway at a polling booth in Bihar's Araria. Today, five constituencies of Bihar including Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura, and Khagaria are set to go to the polls.

Mock poling is being conducted at a polling station in Baramati, Maharashtra. Today 11 constituencies of Maharashtra are set to for the polls including Baramati, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli,Satara,Ratnagiri - Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, and Hatkanangle.

Election authorities have issued notice to Beed BJP candidate Pankaja Munde and NCP (SP) candidate Bajrang Sonavane over irregularities in their election expenditures, officials said.

BJP's Beed candidate had provided a figure of Rs 2,73,038 as her election expenses from April 24 to May 2. However, according to the records with the expenditure inspector, the expenditure made by her in this period amounted to Rs 8,68,101, an election official said on Monday. Irregularities of Rs 5,95,063 were found in her expenditure, the official added.

For the NCP (SP) candidate Sonavane, expenditure shown during April 22 to May 2 is Rs 3,53,165. But the records of the expenditure inspector show his expenses during this period as Rs 8,84,459, amounting to irregularities of Rs 5,31,294.

(PTI Innputs)

Security preparations, mock polling being conducted in a polling booth of Kalaburagi, Karnataka before commencement of voting. Today 14 constituencies including Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere, and Shimoga are set to go for the polls.

Voting begins for the third phase of Lok Sabha polls at 93 constituencies across 11 states and UTs. Today, polling will take place across 93 Lok Sabha constituencies covering 11 states and UTs. The states in phase 3 include Assam (4 seats), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (7), Goa (2), Gujarat (25), Karnataka (14), Madhya Pradesh (9), Maharashtra (11), Uttar Pradesh (10), West Bengal (4), Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu (2). With this phase, polling will conclude in Gujarat, Karnataka, and Goa.

BJP candidate Dr Umesh Jadhav casts his vote at a polling booth in Kalaburagi. Congress has fielded party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani against him from here.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah reaches a polling booth in Ahmedabad, Gujarat to cast his vote. Today, all eyes are on Gujarat's Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat where Shah is contesting against Sonal Ramanbhai Patel of the Congress.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 3: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, his wife and NCP candidate from Baramati Lok Sabha seat Sunetra Pawar reached a polling booth to cast their vote. Baramati is one of the most crucial Lok Sabha seats where Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is fielded against his nephew Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar.

While interacting with the reporters, Ajit Pawar said, "The party leaders and the workers who campaign for their candidate always believe that their candidate will win. This is the beginning. It is still not 6pm. I am sure people will support our candidate. This election is for the development of Baramati..."

As the third phase polling began at 7 am today, former Karnataka chief minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa said, "We are going to win a minimum of 25 Lok Sabha seats. Atmosphere is very good...(BY) Raghavendra will win with a margin of more than 2.5 Lakh votes. There is no doubt about it."

His son and sitting MP B.Y. Raghavendra is the party candidate from Shimoga constituency. Congress has fielded Geetha Shivarajkumar and BJP's K.S. Eshwarappa is contesting as an independent candidate.

PM Narendra Modi casted his vote at the Nishan Higher Secondary School polling booth in Ranip, Gujarat. He reached the polling booth soon after the polling began at 7 am.

"Today is the third phase of voting. There is great importance of 'Daan' in our country and in the same spirit, the countrymen should vote as much as possible. 4 rounds of voting are still ahead. As a voter in Gujarat, this is the only place where I vote regularly and Amit Bhai is contesting from here as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate", the prime minister told reporters after casting vote.

Congress Solapur Lok Sabha candidate Praniti Shinde and Former Maharashtra CM Sushil Kumar Shinde cast their votes at a polling booth in Solapur. BJP has fielded Ram Vitthal Satpute from Solapur. BJP's Dr.Jaisiddeshwar Shivacharya Mahaswamiji is the sitting MP from here.

Uttar Pradesh Governor and former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel casted her vote in Ahmedabad.

After casting his vote, Union Minister and BJP candidate from Porbandar, Mansukh Mandaviya said, "When I was casting my vote, I was only thinking about the welfare of the people for the country and 'Viksit Bharat' under the leadership of PM Modi. I hope that the BJP comes to power with more than 400 seats. I want to appeal to the people of Gujarat to come out and cast their votes..."

Former Madhya Pradesh CM and BJP's candidate from Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha Lok Sabha seat Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with his wife Sadhna Singh, casted his vote at a polling booth in Jait.

"I am fortunate to have participated in the festival of democracy. I have voted. Vote is the soul of democracy, a symbol of dedication towards democracy. Everyone should cast their vote...", Chouhan told reporters.

In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Dear people of the country, this election is an election to protect democracy and the Constitution of the country. This is an election to defeat historic unemployment, rampant inflation, institutional corruption and economic crisis."

"Every single vote is important. Vote after giving it a deep thought and in large numbers, using your discretion. Vote for the future of you and your children," the Congress general secretary said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel casted his vote for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 at a polling booth in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. His sn, Anuj Patel, too casted his vote today. Polling is underway at 25 lok sabha seats of Gujarat.

Voting is in progress in Murshidabad, West Bengal under strict surveillance from district control room. Here's what District Magistrate Rajarshi Mitra said.

"This is a large district, large number of polling stations are to be handled. Two full parliamentary constituencies have gone to the poll. There are no large scale complaints. Some EVMs were found erroneous at certain polling stations. They were replaced. The poll started on time."

Union Home Minister and BJP candidate from Gandhinagar constituency Amit Shah was seen showing the indelible ink on his finger after casting his vote at a polling booth in Ahmedabad.

• Assam- 10.12%

• Bihar- 10.03%

• Chhattisgarh- 13.24 %

• Dadra & Nagar Haveli And Daman & Diu- 10.13 %

• Goa- 11.83%

• Gujarat- 9.83%

• Karnataka- 9.45%

• Madhya Pradesh- 14.07%

• Maharashtra- 6.64%

• Uttar Pradesh- 11.13%

• West Bengal- 14.60%

Track latest updates of the Phase 3 voting and other election news in our live blog here. Updates to this blog have ended.